After six straight years of perseverance, Fall 2004 alum, Dustin Kloempken has finally succeeded in getting six small solar panels installed at his high school! Ever since Dustin returned from his semester at The Island School in 2004, he has been trying to get his school, Hopkins High School in Minnesota, to consider more eco-friendly practices, like using solar panels. This feat is just the beginning of what Dustin hopes is a long line of sustainable efforts at Hopkins High School and the surrounding areas. It is this determination and execution of The Island School’s mission of “leadership effecting change” that we like to see in our alumni after they leave campus. You can read more about the process Dustin went through to get the solar panels here! Congratulations, Dustin!
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Images from SCUBA – 3 Day Kayak Week
With the last of the Kayak groups (K4) returning this afternoon, we collectively mark the passage of SCUBA – 3 Day Kayak Week, and… more importantly… the passing of the Fall 2011 semester orientation weeks. Tomorrow, we will unite for a day of community bonding and activity with a school-wide beach day that begins with the ritual run to High Rock. As we move from orienting to settling to being, we look forward to the many Island School traditions that await us still. So, until then, enjoy these moments from the week…
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DCMS Student Keniesha Pinder’s Ten Favorite Things from Camp Wavus
This past summer, five students from Deep Creek Middle School earned scholarships to camp in the U.S. Keniesha Pinder, grade 8, shares her favorite things from Camp Wavus in Maine:
1. 6 day canoe trip
2. Kayaking (I learned that when you are alone and tired you have to keep going)
3. The different theme days like Carnival Day
4. Bull riding!!!!
5. Going on the pottery wheel
6. Shooting rifles
7. Cooking classes
8. Hiking into the wilderness
9. Sailing
10. Ropes courses
Thank you to all the staff and Island School families who acted as homestays and chaperones on the kids’ journeys to and from Eleuthera: Christian Henry, Hannah Twombly (IS SP’11), Bronthe McGarrah (IS SP’11), Ashley Anderson and Odette Pretty.
Cacique Update September 7, 2011
by Cacique Jane Drinkard
Today was one of the longest days we’ve had here. It was a big day for all of us; Kayak groups 3 and 4 left for their 3-day kayak adventure and the rest of us broke off into our scuba groups to start scuba week. It also marked my weekaversary here at the island school (woohoo!) Many of us had never been scuba diving before so some of us were kind of anxious to get into the water. Maxey talked to us last night about how the underwater world makes up 98% of our earth yet we’ve hardly explored any of it’s depths. He lowered his voice and in front of a magnificent projected photograph of the earth he informed us that tomorrow we would all be “aquanauts,” which is the equivalent to underwater astronauts. After our morning exercise of psychos and swimming with our fins we embarked on our scuba journey. Continue reading
Having Trouble Finding Flights for the Reunion?
Unlike the old days, there are now a TON of ways to get over to Eleuthera for the reunion October 7-9. Alternative options are available through Nassau to Rock Sound with carriers like Pineapple Air, Bahamas Air and Southern Air and they often are more cost effective. Check them out and once you’ve made your plans, be sure to RSVP! If you have any questions please let us know!
–The Island School
Cacique Update September 6, 2011
by Caciques Carter and Griffen
Three shrill notes from the irate alarm clock permeate through the room of 12 sleeping boys. Brendan slaps down the source of this rude interruption and slowly the 12 of us roll out of bed, preparing for our first run, a 4.25 jog through the lush wilderness. Despite fighting new temperatures, unreal humidity, and foreign surroundings, we all returned with smiles of accomplishment and a new-found pride. After brief chores and breakfast, we said our goodbyes to our friends who had spent their morning preparing for the 3-day kayak trip around south Eleuthera; we would stay behind, to spend that time learning how to scuba dive.
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Cacique Update September 5, 2011
by Cacique Emily Peters
The bright blue waters of the little Island School Marina cove lapped over the wooden beams holding up the dock. My partner and I had our feet dangling over the edge of bright sunlit dock; watching the little fish swim around in large groups. We were waiting- waiting for directions on how to make the next knot we were learning. Today one of the things we learned how to tie various knots, knots for keeping boats to the docks, knots for a strong hold, and knots that could be used for anything. Through the hole, you make a loop; the “bunny” comes out of the hole, around the “tree,” back through the hole, and then pull tight. Our beloved scuba instructors kept saying, “Practice makes Permanent.” Continue reading
Cacique Update September 3, 2011
by Caciques Tori Suslovitch and Ihna Mangundayao
Today, our class was split in the same groups that we were yesterday; one half stayed on campus for a Harkness seminar while the other took a boat to a nearby sandbar for an introduction to math class. Students in the seminar discussed the book The Rediscovery of North America, practicing the new class system in which students lead their own class discussions. On the sandbar, students received geology lessons from Chris Maxey regarding the sand in the Bahamas and applied some geometrical and algebraic concepts to solve questions concerning the distance to the horizon based on their location. The students also saw a stingray, countless sand dollars, and several different types of conch during a quick snorkel. The environment is truly becoming a part of our classroom: we used the sand as our chalkboard and instead of reading about concepts in books, we get the chance to see them first hand. Continue reading
Hurricane Irene Clean Up on Eleuthera
Ten days after Irene tore through Eleuthera there was still much to clean up in the North. Communities like Governor’s Harbour, Hatchet Bay, Gregory Town, and James Cistern still face mountains of seaweed, sand, and other debris left by the storm. On Saturday, September 3, a small group of individuals from the Rotaract Club of Eleuthera, Rotary Club of Eleuthera, South Eleuthera Emergency Partners (SEEP), and the Cape Eleuthera Island School gathered in Governor’s Harbour to help with the cleanup effort.
Following a meeting with local government officials, the volunteers set out for James Cistern where they helped remove piles of seaweed from the Primary School yard and from the homes of residents. Organizations like Rotary, SEEP, and The Island School have worked together in the past to help the community, but never before in response to a natural disaster. By coming together to assist others the organizations are showing their commitment to the communities of Eleuthera.
“We brought a dump truck, some tools and a few good men to help out with the effort,” remarked Josh Shultz, who works at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. “Hopefully we’ve made a difference by helping to remove some of this debris, and more importantly we want to send a message that we care about the community in which we live.”
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The Dawn of Something Special
Almost every morning we circle around our flagpole at 6:30am and sing the Bahamian National Anthem: “Lift up your head, to the rising sun Bahamaland. . .” Going into my 7th year at The Island School, those words we sing as a community are just as poignant as ever.
Take this morning for instance. I’ve been playing around with my GoPro Hero camera lately, having discovered how to make time lapse video out of still photos. So on my way out the door around 6:00am, I pointed the camera towards the east and set it to take a photo every two seconds. When I returned around 8:15, I had a series of over 3200 still shots that Adobe Premiere stitched together into a 36 second video of the sunrise.
Those two hours are a great example of what our lives are like during the semester—non-stop action. For example, while that footage was being shot, K1 and K2 were filling dromedaries with water, packing their boats, and putting on sunscreen in preparation for their kayak trips; meanwhile, K3 and K4 went for a light 4.25 mile run, cleaned the campus, showered, and ate breakfast. Even as I write this blog entry, the kayakers are paddling off towards Broad Creek, where they’ll spend the next three days snorkeling in Mangrove wetlands, stargazing and telling stories around a campfire, or searching the beach for artifacts of the Lucayan TaÍno who once inhabited these coastlines. And the fledgling SCUBA divers are learning how to blow bubbles under the curious gaze of barracudas, Nassau groupers and spiny lobsters.
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As you’ve probably grasped by now, the Fall 2011 semester is off and running. With another 95 days yet to go, we can only begin to imagine what adventures lay ahead. The only thing that is certain is that when the sun sets on the Fall 2011 semester, our 101 days together will have felt like 101 years that went by in 101 seconds.